


Butterflies In Your Stomach

by multiple_fezzes



Category: Runaways (Comics)
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Practice Kissing, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-27
Updated: 2013-07-27
Packaged: 2017-12-21 11:42:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/899915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multiple_fezzes/pseuds/multiple_fezzes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for <a href="http://troublesteady.dreamwidth.org/2013/06/16/marvel-femslash-prompt-fest-1.html?thread=413029#cmt413029">this prompt</a> at the Marvel Femslash Prompt Fest: Nico Minoru/Karolina Dean, age 13, practicing kissing</p>
<p>“You want to do <i>what</i>?” Nico looks directly at Karolina for the first time since Karolina had pulled her away from the others, pushing her glasses back up her nose from where they had slipped down. Nico has spent most of the evening so far staring at her hands and Karolina wishes, not for the first time, that Nico believed her when Karolina told her how cool she thinks she is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Butterflies In Your Stomach

**Author's Note:**

> Please check out more awesome ladies at the [Marvel Femslash Prompt Fest](http://troublesteady.dreamwidth.org/2013/06/16/marvel-femslash-prompt-fest-1.html).
> 
> Title taken from Karolina's description of flying for the first time, as seen in Runaways, Volume 1, Issue 4.

“You want to do _what_?” Nico looks directly at Karolina for the first time since Karolina had pulled her away from the others, pushing her glasses back up her nose from where they had slipped down. Nico has spent most of the evening so far staring at her hands and Karolina wishes, not for the first time, that Nico believed her when Karolina told her how cool she thinks she is.

“You heard me,” she says, trying to sound light, like it’s no big deal, but it comes out more sharply than she intended. Nico’s eyes drop again, this time to the ugly bedspread they were sitting on in one of the Wilder’s million guest rooms. Karolina tries again, more gently this time, “I want to practice kissing.”

“Why?”

Karolina doesn’t know what to say for a moment. She doesn’t want Nico to know how much she wants this, how nervous she is Nico will say no. Best to lie, probably. “We’re going to be high school soon,” she says, trying to sound like she knows what she’s talking about and mostly succeeding. “You have to know how to kiss in high school, it’s, like, _a rule __.”_

“No,” Nico says quietly, and Karolina’s heart plummets. Nico looks up at Karolina over the edge of her glasses. “Why _me_?”

_Because I think about you all the time_ , Karolina thinks. _Because you’re the only reason I want to go to these stupid meetings. Because I don’t think I like boys_. 

“Because you’re my favorite,” Karolina says. Her stomach drops at how way too honest that is, and she tries to cover. “Chase is gross, Gert hates me, and Alex is, like, a total nerd.”

“Alex isn’t—” Nico tries to interrupt, but the last thing Karolina wants right now is to talk about Alex.

“Anyway, you’re the best,” she cuts off. “And it doesn’t have to mean anything, right? It’s just a thing friends do. We’re friends, right?”

Nico just looks at her for a long moment, and Karolina regrets ever having this stupid idea to begin with. Nico isn’t dumb, she’s totally going to see right through her, and why did Karolina spent so much time thinking about the kissing part of this plan and not the not-sounding-like-a-crazy-person-so-Nico-agrees part?

“Okay.”

Karolina doesn’t even react at first, just stares blankly, until choking out, “Really?!” Way too desperate. “I mean, cool. Great. Cool.” Not much better.

"Um,” Nico starts, “What do we do?”

“Well...” Karolina should have thought this part through more, too. “First, we should move a bit.” She turns more fully towards Nico, pulling her leg up underneath her on the edge of the bed, and Nico slides a little closer to her. “Then we should gaze into each other’s eyes. It’s really romantic that way.”

Karolina looks at Nico and her breath catches. Nico is _so pretty_ , and she looks a little nervous, which Karolina expected, but also a little excited, which Karolina did not. She reaches up and tucks a stray piece of hair behind Nico’s ear and Nico smiles at her, small and real.

Karolina moves without thinking, just knowing in that moment that she wanted to press her lips to that smile. It’s a little too fast, mouths hitting too hard, lips sticking not entirely pleasantly, but she feels something in her stomach clench and her breath escapes her. She licks her lips and tries again, Nico meeting her halfway, and their second attempt is much more successful than the first.

They’re barely doing anything, just a gentle press and slide of lips against each other’s, but Karolina feels like she’s on fire, like something is welling up inside of her trying to burst out. She knows her cheeks must be as flushed as Nico’s are, but she doesn’t care. She feels light and happy, like she could lift off and fly right off the bed.

Nico is leaning in closer and Karolina is just pressing her fingertips to Nico’s side when they both hear footsteps coming down the hall. Nico’s back across the mattress so fast that Karolina’s hand is still hovering in the air when Gertrude sticks her head through the bedroom door. Karolina feels suddenly, painfully, like she’s just crashed back to earth.

Gert eyes them both speculatively for one long moment, Nico pulling down her skirt and Karolina staring up at the ceiling, but doesn’t ask what they were doing. Karolina’s mind blanks out; she can’t think of anything to say or do, just keenly feels the loss of Nico’s warmth against her side.

It’s Nico who offers, “Karolina was just telling me something Chase said about me.”

“Right,” Gert says flatly, and Nico has this look on her face like she’s daring Gertrude to contradict her. Gert just rolls her eyes. “Chase is a jerk.”

“ _Total_ jerk!” Karolina adds, desperate to sound normal.

“Yeah,” Gert says, rolling her eyes again. “You guys should probably get back. You know Alex’s ‘rents are weird about us wandering around.”

“You’re right,” Nico says, and stands. “Coming, Karolina?”

Nico turns back to Karolina, gives her that same small smile as earlier, and Karolina feels herself brighten. “Yeah,” Karolina says, happiness filling her up inside, “I’m right behind you.”


End file.
